While there once was a time I would have agreed, lately I haven’t seen much reason to.

Most of the students graduating from Antwerp’s fashion academy come from abroad, and Brussels’ La Cambre is quickly catching up, in any case. And when it comes to shopping, there’s not much new going on in Antwerp. Besides Princess Blue, very few shops offer new and exciting brands.

Concept stores (hipster “lifestyle shops” selling more than just clothes) shook things up in Antwerp for awhile, but both the leaders – Clinic and Fish&Chips – have evolved towards more commercial projects. It’s an evolution I can fully understand, yet regret. Newcomer Hospital tried to fill the void at the beginning of this year, but perhaps it tried too hard. The shop is empty more often than not – possibly due to a limited and uninspiring selection.

There seemed to be a lack of energy, of new ideas. But if what I’m seeing now is any indication, this may turn out to be the calm before the storm.

Early evidence is Ra 13 in the Kloosterstraat, which opened the doors to its 800 square metres last week. Ra is essentially a concept store; it houses fashion, books, magazines, cool objects, a café and a DJ booth. But the appeal of the store lies in its offer. There’s no other place where Gareth Pugh, Henrik Vibskov, Hannah Marshall and Peter Jensen are united under one roof. Besides these international names, Ra is stocking new Belgian talent.

Founders Anna Kushnerova and Romain Brau – both Antwerp academy graduates – also want to make Ra a platform for multidisciplinary talent. Installation art gets as much attention as the clothes surrounding it, and the duo plans live events. Time will tell if all the aspirations become reality, but it’s encouraging to see the initiative.

To discover the other two promising stores, patience is required. Jorrit Baars is preparing the launch of Your (also in Kloosterstraat), with more than 1,000 square-metres of fashion, cosmetics, objects, books and even cars. He opens in February, and he isn’t revealing names yet, but it’s clear he’s targeting a decidedly fashion-forward audience that knows what it wants but isn’t able to get it in Antwerp.

The third shop, called Graanmarkt after its location, remains somewhat of a mystery. All we know is that it will open in February and the owner has contacted some major foreign labels. We don’t know for sure which ones, but that’s okay. Sometimes it takes a little fashionable mystery to shake up a city that has been dormant far too long.

www.ra13.be